Federal prosecutors in New Jersey have accused six men — including former executives at pharmaceutical company Celgene Corp. and medical-technology firm Stryker Corp. and some of their high-school friends — of passing corporate secrets about their companies and using that information to make profitable trades. The scheme allegedly began in 2007, involved 11 corporate announcements and resulted in more than $1.4 million in illicit profits.

The men allegedly shared corporate secrets at social events and sometimes used . . .